Device for sealing water at coupling portion of tunnel tubes

ABSTRACT

A device for sealing water at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes which has first and second tunnel tubes disposed opposite at the respective end surfaces, an outside gasket fixed at the base end of the first tunnel tube and contacted at the end with the second tunnel tube, an inside strip gasket secured at both sides to the stepped recess formed along the inner peripheral ends of the first and second tunnel tubes, and a coupling tube secured to the stepped recess of the first tunnel tube for supporting the inner surface of the inside gasket.

Umted States Patent 1 1 1 3,729,939 Shimizu 1451 Ma 1 1973 1 1 DEVICE FOR SEALING WATER AT 730,135 6/1903 Lake ..61/43 COUPLING I N F UN 3,517,515 6/1970 Warshaw... ..6l/84 1,639,225 8/1927 Grace ..285/236 1,666,799 4/1928 Trammell.... ..285/288 [76] Inventor: Soichiro Shimizu, 7-5 2-chome, 1,748,134 2/1930 King ..6l/43 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [22] Filed: Sept. 9, 1971 1,373 8/1968 Netherlands ..61/43 PP N05 179,101 Primary Examiner--Thomas F. Callaghan Atl0rney-James E. Armstrong et al. [30] Foreign Application Priority Data ABSTRACT l 97 J ..4 Sept 1 0 apan 5/78869 A device for sealing water at the couplmg portion of [52] U S Cl 61/43 285/114 285/187 tunnel tubes which has first and second tunnel tubes "5 6 285/236 277/166 disposed opposite at the respective end surfaces, an

[51] Int Cl Eozd 25/00 1 49/00 outside gasket fixed at the base end of the first tunnel [58] Fieid 285/232) 288 ll 4 tube and contacted at the end with the second tunnel D tube, an inside strip gasket secured at both sides to the 285/236 61/43 277/166 206 stepped recess formed along the inner peripheral ends of the first and second tunnel tubes, and a coupling [56] References Cited tube secured to the stepped recess of the first tunnel UNITED STATES PATENTS tube for supporting the inner surface of the inside gasket. 3,478,521 11/1969 Petrik ..61/43 938,265 10/1909 Moir 8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented May I, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I II "irli'l' Patented May 1, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG; 2

FI'G.

Patented May 1, 1973 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGS FIG. 6

DEVICE FOR SEALING WATER AT COUPLING PORTION OF TUNNEL TUBES This invention relates to a device for sealingwater at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes mounted for providing a tunnel for vehicles and human beings along the bottom of a sea or river.

In general, when a tunnel is constructed along a water bottom, there has been conducted a common process for excavating a rock layer under the sea bottom, a shield process for excavating earth and sand, a process for temporarily shutting off the waterway to construct with open excavation or tunnel tube, etc., but there has recently been conducted a process for placing tunnel tubes along a water bottom wherein the tubes connected to each other under water so as to constitute a tunnel.

In such a process for settling the tube, a great problem takes place which relates to obtaining a device for positively sealing water out at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes even if the coupling portion separates greatly or bends due to the extension and contraction of the tunnel tubes.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a device for sealing water out at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes which will positively seal water out at the coupling portion of the tunnel tubes even if the tunnel tubes separates from each other due to the extension and contraction of such tunnel tubes.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device for sealing water out at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes which will positively seal water out while the coupling portion is being bent, even if the bending forces act upon the coupling portion of the tunnel tubes, without difficulty.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device for sealing water out at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes which will restrict the separating movement of the tunnel tubes from each other within a predetermined range with the coupling portion of the tunnel tubes remaining bendable.

According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a device for sealing water out at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes which comprises first and second tunnel tubes with the respective end surfaces disposed in opposite relation, an outside gasket secured at the base end to the first tunnel tube and placed in face-to-face relation at the end with the second tunnel tube, and inside strip gasket secured at both sides to the stepped recess formed along the inner peripheral ends of the first and second tunnel tubes, and a coupling tube placed adjacent to the stepped recess of the first tunnel tube for supporting the inner surface of the inside gasket.

The other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of overall the state of the tunnel tubes provided between shafts;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side sectional view of the coupling portion of the tunnel tubes;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the coupling portion taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged detail view of the essential portion in FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal side sectional view of the state wherein the outside gasket acts to seal water out, and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal side sectional view of the state wherein the outside gasket is separated while the inside gasket acts to seal water out; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the coupling portion taken along the line VI-Vl in FIG. 5.

Reference is now made to the drawings, which show one embodiment of the device for sealing water out at the coupling portion of the tunnel tubes of this inventron.

FIG. 1 shows an overall side view of the state that tunnel tubes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, are settled between shafts A, A and the respective tunnel tubes are sealingly connected through gaskets to each other.

FIGS. 2 to 5 show the device for sealing water out at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes of this invention applied to the connection of concrete tunnel tubes to each other. As shown in FIG. 2, which shows the coupling portion of the tunnel tubes of this invention, a pair of concrete tunnel tubes 1 and 2 are disposed opposite to each other, and have stepped recesses 6 and 7, respectively along the inner peripheral ends thereof and reinforcing metal plates 8 and 9 secured on the outside projecting portions thereof. As clearly seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, a seat plate 10 is fixed onto the surface of the reinforcing metal plate 8 secured on the outer peripheral end of the first tunnel tube 1, and strip bearing materials 11 and II are onto both sides of the seat plate 10.

The end surface ofa flange 13 provided at both sides of the base end of a rubber outside gasket 12 contacts the inner surface of the strip bearing materials 11 and 11, and strip keep members 14 and 14 contacted with the surface of the flange 13 are fixed to the strip bearing members 11 and 11 by bolts 15.

An inside rubber gasket 16 consists of both side adaptor portions 19 and 20 having projecting strips 17 and 18, respectively extending longitudinally with the gasket 16. An intermediate strip portion 21, and a thick buffer bearing portion 22, and one side of the adaptor portion 19 contacts the stepped recess 6 of the first tunnel tube 1 to be secured to the first tunnel tube 1 by strip plate 24 having grooves 23 for engaging with the projecting strip 17 an anchor bolt 25 and nut 26.

The adaptor portion 20 of the other side of the inside gasket 16 contacts the stepped recess 7 of the second tunnel tube 2 to be secured to the second tunnel tube by strip plate 28 having grooves 27 for engaging with the projecting strip 18 and an anchor bolt 29 and nut 30.

At the inside of the stepped recess 7 is disposed a pattern and bearing frame 32 made of metal plate having bearing portion 31 disposed in parallel therewith, the adapter portion 33 of large diameter provided at one end of which frame 32 is fixed by the strip plate 24, and concrete 35 being the essential part of an inner coupling tube 34 is provided over between the inside of the pattern and bearing frame 32 and the inside of the stepped recess 6 of the first tunnel tube 1.

At the stepped recess 7 of the second tunnel tube 2 is provided a securing concrete portion 36, and between the securing concrete portion 36 and the inner coupling box 34 is formed extensible and contractible gap 37, and at the sliding portion of the buffer bearing portion 22 and the pattern and bearing frame 32 at the intermediate strip portion 21 is integrally provided a synthetic resin layer 38 easily slidable, such as fluorine resin.

At both sides of connecting rod 39 for connecting the inner coupling tube 34 to the securing concrete portion 36 are, in turn, engaged a rubber taper cylinder 40 thickened toward the center of the rod, a washer 41, a rubber resilient member 42, a keep washer 44 having a spherical recess 43 formed thereon, and a bearing washer 46 having a spherical projection 45, a set nut 47 screwed onto the connecting rod 39, a synthetic resin or metal protecting tube 49 having projections 48 for preventing itself from being drawn outside on the taper cylinder 40 so that the end of small diameter of the protecting tube 49 is engaged with the hole of the front wall 51 ofa tube 50 as shown in FIG. 6.

A cover 53 is screwed at the rear end of the body 52 of the cylindrical tube, and a gap is formed between the inner surface of the body 52 of the tube and the washer 41, and between the inner surface of the body 52 and the outer peripheral surface of the rubber resilient members 42 and keep washer 44, and the protecting tube 49 and tube 50 provided at both sides of the connecting rod 39 are buried in the concrete 35 of the inner coupling tube 34 and securing concrete portion 36. The connecting rod 39 may rock around the neighborhood of the spherical contacting portions of the washer 44 and bearing washer 46 as a center as designated by a broken line 39', in which case part of the taper clynder 40 is resiliently compressed by the connecting rod 39. If the inner coupling tube 34 and the fixing concrete 36 are connected by the aforesaid means, in the event that the adjacent first and second tunnel tubes 1 and 2 tend to separate from each other by the change of the temperature of water or the force of an earthquake, etc., they may be separated by providing a resilient resistance by means of the compression of the resilient members 42, and when the adjacent first and second tunnel tubes 1 and 2 tends to approach to each other, they may approach readily by the returning force of the resilient member 42, and if the adjacent first and second tunnel tubes tend to bend around the connecting portion thereof as a center or if they tend to displace in the direction perpendicular to the connecting rod 39, the connecting rod 39 resiliently compresses the part of the taper cylinder 40 as shown by a broken line 39' in FIG. 6 so that it may allow them to bend or displace while providing resilient resistance at the same time it may give a returning force thereto by the resiliency of the taper cylinder 40, and accordingly the adjacent first and second tunnel tubes 1 and 2 may be connected so as to readily return to the original state by the resiliency of the resilient members 42 and taper cylinder 40, and since the thickness of the taper cylinder 40 becomes larger toward the center of the connecting rod 39, it is prevented from applying excessive bending moment to the connecting rod 39.

Since the device of this invention is thus constructed, if the length of the tunnel tubes are greatly shortened by the change of the temperature of the water or creep of the concrete tunnel tubes so that the end of the outside gasket 12 separates from the outer peripheral end of the second tunnel tube 2 opposite thereto asshown in FIG. 5, relatively large water pressure is applied to the inside gasket 16, but since the intermediate strip portion 21 of the inside gasket 16 is rigidly supported by the inner coupling tube 34, even if a great water pressure is applied thereto, the inside gasket 16 may not be broken, and since the thick buffer bearing portion 22 of the inside gasket 16 is interposed between the outer peripheral surface of small diameter of the inner coupling tube 34 and the stepped recess 7 of the second tunnel tube 2 opposite thereto, when a bending force is acted to the connecting portion of the adjacent first and second tunnel tubes 1 and 2, it deforms resiliently the buffer bearing portion 22 so as to bend it without difficulty while buffering.

The foregoing description, and the accompanying drawings show illustrative forms of construction according to this invention, but it will be understood that these forms are not restrictive, and that the invention may be practiced in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for sealing water at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes comprising first and second tunnel tubes each having a stepped recess portion formed along the inner peripheral surface of the end thereof and disposed oppositely at the end thereof, an outside gasket contacting the outer peripheral end of said second tunnel tube at one end thereof and fixed to the end of the outer peripheral end of said first tunnel tube at a base end thereof, an inner coupling tube having the outer peripheral surface of smaller diameter arranged in face-to-face relation with the stepped recess portion of said second tunnel tube and fixed to the stepped recess portion of said first tunnel tube at one end thereof, an inside strip gasket having both side adaptor portions mounted to the stepped recess portions of said first and second tunnel tubes, respectively, intermediate strip portion, and thick buffer bearing portion, said buffer bearing portion being interposed between the stepped recess portion of said second tunnel tube and the outer peripheral surface of small diameter of said inner coupling tube, said intermediate strip portion being disposed outside of the outer peripheral surface of small diameter of said inner coupling tube.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second tunnel tubes are constructed of concrete, and reinforcing metal plates are secured to the outer peripheral ends thereof.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a seat plate fixed onto the outer peripheral end of said first tunnel tube, strip bearing members fixed to both sides of said seat plate, flangesprovided to both sides of the base ends of said outside gasket, a strip keep member contacting the surface of the flange disposed between said strip bearing members, and bolts for fixing said strip keep members to said strip bearing membets.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein projections extending longitudinally with said gasket are formed on the surfaces of both side adaptor portions of said inside gasket, and both side adaptor portions of said inside gasket are secured to said first and second tunnel tubes, respectively, by strip plates having grooves engaged with said projections held in place by anchor bolts and nuts.

5. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said inner coupling tube is formed by a pattern and bearing frame of metal plate having a bearing portion disposed in parallel with the surface of said stepped recess portion and inside the stepped recess portion of said second tunnel tube and secured to the stepped recess portion of said first tunnel tube at, the adaptor portion of large diameter located at one end thereof, with concrete provided over the inside of said pattern and bearing frame and the stepped recess portion of said first tunnel tube.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein readily slippery synthetic resin layer is provided on the inside surfaces of the intermediate strip portion and buffer bearing portion of said inside strip gasket. 7. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a securing concrete portion arranged such as to provide a gap with said inner coupling tube and located at the stepped recess portion of said second tunnel tube, tubes buried in said inner coupling tube and securing concrete portion, respectively, cylinders made of resilient material such as rubber buried between said tube and said inner coupling tube, and end surface contacting with the securing concrete portion and formed in a circular truncated conical shape thickened toward said end thereof, with resilient members such as rubber disposed in said tube and a keep washer having a spherical recess portion and a bearing washer having a spherical projected portion adapted for said spherical recess portion, a connecting rod passing through said cylinders of resilient material, front wall of said tube, said resilient members, wherein said keep washer and said bearing washer are screwed with set nuts contacting said bearing washers at both ends thereof for connecting said inner coupling tube to said fixing concrete.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7; further comprising a protecting tube surrounding said cylinder of resilient material simultaneously having projections for preventing itself from being drawn outside and being of circular truncated conical shape engaged with the hole of the front wall of said tube at the end of small diameter. 

1. A device for sealing water at the coupling portion of tunnel tubes comprising first and second tunnel tubes each having a stepped recess portion formed along the inner peripheral surface of the end thereof and disposed oppositely at the end thereof, an outside gasket contacting the outer peripheral end of said second tunnel tube at one end thereof and fixed to the end of the outer peripheral end of said first tunnel tube at a base end thereof, an inner coupling tube having the outer peripheral surface of smaller diameter arranged in face-to-face relation with the stepped recess portion of said second tunnel tube and fixed to the stepped recess portion of said first tunnel tube at one end thereof, an inside strip gasket having both side adaptor portions mounted to the stepped recess portions of said first and second tunnel tubes, respectively, intermediate strip portion, and thick buffer bearing portion, said buffer bearing portion being interposed between the stepped recess portion of said second tunnel tube and the outer peripheral surface of small diameter of said inner coupling tube, said intermediate strip portion being disposed outside of the outer peripheral surface of small diameter of said inner coupling tube.
 2. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second tunnel tubes are constructed of concrete, and reinforcing metal plates are secured to the outer peripheral ends thereof.
 3. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a seat plate fixed onto the outer peripheral end of said first tunnel tube, strip bearing members fixed to both sides of said seat plate, flanges provided to both sides of the base ends of said outside gasket, a strip keep member contacting the surface of the flange disposed between said strip bearing members, and bolts for fixing said strip keep members to said strip bearing members.
 4. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein projections extending longitudinally with said gasket are formed on the surfaces of both side adaptor portions of said inside gasket, and both side adaptor portions of said inside gasket are secured to said first and second tunnel tubes, respectively, by strip plates having grooves engaged with said projections held in place by anchor bolts and nuts.
 5. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said inner coupling tube is formed by a pattern and bearing frame of metal plate having a bearing portion disposed in parallel with the surface of said stepped recess portion and inside the stepped recess portion of said second tunnel tube and secured to the stepped recess portion of said first tunnel tube at the adaptor portion of large diameter located at one end thereof, with concrete provided over the inside of said pattern and bearing frame and the stepped recess portion of said first tunnel tube.
 6. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein readily slippery synthetic resin layer is provided on the inside surfaces of the intermediate strip portion and buffer bearing portion of said inside strip gasket.
 7. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a securing concrete portion arranged such as to provide a gap with said inner coupling tube and located at the stepped recess portion of said second tunnel tube, tubes buried in said inner coupling tube and securing concrete portion, respectively, cylinders made of resilient material such as rubber buried between said tube and said inner coupling tube, and end surface contacting with the securing concrete portion and formed in a circular truncated conical shape thickened toward said end thereof, with resilient members such as rubber disposed in said tube and a keep washer having a spherical recess portion and a bearing washer having a spherical projected portion adapted for said spherical recess portion, a connecting rod passing thrOugh said cylinders of resilient material, front wall of said tube, said resilient members, wherein said keep washer and said bearing washer are screwed with set nuts contacting said bearing washers at both ends thereof for connecting said inner coupling tube to said fixing concrete.
 8. A device as set forth in claim 7, further comprising a protecting tube surrounding said cylinder of resilient material simultaneously having projections for preventing itself from being drawn outside and being of circular truncated conical shape engaged with the hole of the front wall of said tube at the end of small diameter. 